Discover Mesa Natural Gas Solutions and its role in generating reliable, sustainable power solutions
Located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Mesa Natural Gas Solutions (Mesa) is committed to balancing access to affordable and reliable energy with safeguarding the environment for future generations. By fostering a culture of collaboration, which is fundamental to innovation and the achievement of strategic goals, Mesa is poised to play a significant role in accelerating the adoption of reliable and sustainable energy. These efforts have already yielded impressive results in the oil and gas industry, where its technology has successfully reduced millions of tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions. Senior Vice President of Corporate Development, Tom Poteet, provides more information on the company’s operations and impact.
“Throughout our 11-year journey, we have remained dedicated to the natural gas generator business, specializing in electric generators that run on natural gas. In this market, our competitive edge lies in our innovative engine technologies, which can function on different qualities of natural gas. This flexibility enables us to operate on unrefined gas straight from the ground or with a high British Thermal Unit (BTU) value, similar to propane. We have built a strong reputation for reliability by developing advanced devices around our fuel system. Our overall architecture is designed for prime power, which means that our units are engineered to operate all the time. We still need to do some regular maintenance, just like anyone would on a car engine that runs continuously, but our engines are specifically designed to function efficiently for years at a time. Having achieved significant success in the oil and gas on-site power sector, we are now expanding into commercial applications, providing generators that can be connected to the grid. In deregulated markets, customers can also leverage their generators to participate in demand response programs. Additionally, supplying power to utilities and data centers is a growing area for us,” he shares.
The latest addition to Mesa’s innovative solutions is the GV22PU engine model, which Tom tells us more about. “This is the newest model we have deployed in the field. Moreover, we have an enhancement called the GX22, engineered for increased power output. Behind these engine upgrades, there is an interesting story that started two years ago, when the manufacturer, Hyundai, approached us to work directly with them on their engine blocks instead of going through a third party. We reached an agreement where we take their engine blocks and dress them out, which involves adding the necessary computer and fuel systems to achieve US EPA ratings for the engines. At the time, Hyundai informed us that they were introducing power output upgrades for these engine blocks. While the engine size remains nominally the same, recent design enhancements will enable greater power efficiency. Currently, we are in the process of deploying these upgraded engines into various applications.”
Building on this momentum, Mesa is actively developing a new generator set in collaboration with green energy supplier Modern Hydrogen. “At the most recent
Powergen International conference in January 2025, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Modern Hydrogen. In the US, the hydrogen economy has yet to gain solid traction. But in preparation of potential future opportunities, we established this MOU with Modern Hydrogen, which is currently focused on creating an innovative device. This new device operates in a high-temperature, closed environment to extract carbon from natural gas, leaving behind nearly pure hydrogen. At the same time, our engine manufacturer has been working on an internal combustion engine designed to run exclusively on hydrogen. Neither of these products is market-ready at this stage, but our collaboration allows us to explore the potential applications of on-site hydrogen production, combined with a hydrogen-powered engine and generator set. While we are likely about 18 months from making a significant announcement, both of our teams are working behind the scenes to develop our complementary products,” Tom explains.
Recently, Mesa expanded into a new manufacturing facility in Evansville, Wyoming, marking a significant milestone for the company. Tom reflects on how this move has benefited Mesa’s operations. “A couple of key factors prompted us to open this new factory. First, as we have continued to grow consistently and tremendously, we simply needed more space for our manufacturing and assembly operations to meet the growing demand for our generators. Furthermore, we required more room to improve the efficiency of our assembly processes, materials handling, and supply chain operations. Our original company headquarters was in Casper, Wyoming, and Evansville is a smaller neighboring town adjacent to Casper. While our facility’s address is technically in Evansville, it is all part of the same general area where we have been steadily growing over the years. It is also worth mentioning that about four or five years ago, we moved our corporate headquarters to Loveland, Colorado, but all assembly and materials handling operations remained in Casper. Last November, we moved into a 200,000-square-foot facility in San Antonio, Texas. On top of that, about four months ago, we broke ground on a nearly identical facility in Casper. By the time the Casper facility is completed, we will have increased our assembly capacity by approximately 400,000 square feet,” he concludes.
Mesa’s strategic expansion and collaborations signal a promising future, as it continues to drive the adoption of cleaner energy technologies. ■